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Bea Santiago, a beauty queen from the Philippines, was chosen on Tuesday, in Tokyo, as Miss International amid a huge scandal regarding the intimidation of her Japanese predecessor.

The new Miss International said she will use her title to help people affected by the devastating Typhoon Haiyan.

“This is my dream. Thank you Japan for giving it to me,” an ecstatic Bea Rose Santiago said. “I am going to use my crown and my title to help the victims” of Super Typhoon Haiyan, that left almost 8,000 people dead or missing.

“So this is actually for my province, and this is for the Philippines.”

The beauty queen was crowned by 2008 Miss International and not by her immediate predecessor, who stayed away from the glitzy show, according to the international press.

“I really wanted to meet her,” Santiago said. “It was very unfortunate because I really wanted to meet last year’s winner also.”

Last year’s winner, Japanese Ikumi Yoshimatsu, claimed that she has been asked by the organizers of this year’s edition not to show up at the final.

Yoshimatsu said since winning she has faced a running battle to maintain her independence from the management agencies that form the backbone of Japan’s entertainment industry.